One of the most memorable images of any wedding, a picturesque wedding cake can provide the perfect finishing touch to your wedding planning. The cake is one of the focal points at the reception and is a visual delight that foreshadows the gastronomic delight to come! No matter what type of wedding you are planning, the cake provides an opportunity to add your own unique style to the celebration. There is a lot to talk about when it comes to wedding cakes, so grab a snack and read on!
To Bake or Not to Bake
Whether planning a large or small wedding, you must first decide whether to buy a cake or bake one yourself. Although there are sites that have do-it-yourself recipes, please beware of this. Not only will you have to produce something that looks professionally done, but it also may need to be refrigerated and some need to be completed the day before or the day of the wedding when time may not be available. On the other hand, if you are an artistic and motivated bride, baking a cake can be a very rewarding undertaking. For the culinary challenged among us, thankfully there are many terrific bakeries that specialize in wedding cakes.
Wedding Cake Style
Picking a style There are a number of wedding cake styles and you can easily spend hours looking at different cakes. Bakers have a portfolio for you to look through, and this can be very helpful. Oftentimes they may even be able to give you a sample of the cake so you can determine that you like it and it is exactly what you want. An online wedding cake gallery with great wedding cake pictures can be found at WeddingCuts.com. Also, if you are a budget conscious bride, you can purchase a cake model to display during the reception while having a cake sheet to serve at the reception.
Determine cake size how many guests will you be serving?
Number of tiers if you are not considering a sheet cake, determine how many tiers you would like on your cake.
Shape of the tiers the tiers do not all have to match in shape. In fact, some brides choose unique tiers for a more artistic cake.
Color If you wish to match a color from your wedding, take a swatch from your dress, a flower arrangement, etc. to show your baker so he can match your cake color and decorations to it.
Type of cake you can mix and match different types of cakes. White is traditional but chocolate, carrot, and cheesecake are becoming more popular. Cheesecakes today can even be covered in icing or fondant to appear like the traditional wedding cake.
Type of filling You can have fruit, cream, frosting, etc. This may be based on the type of cake you choose or the theme of your wedding. Talk to your baker about what goes best with your choices.
Decorations and colors You will want to choose your cake colors and decorations based on your theme and personal preference. Almost anything silk flowers, jewelry, flowers made out of icing, beads, lace, pearls can be used. Edible bows, ribbons, and flowers can be added but increase the cost. See below for more information.
Saving the top tier If you wish to save the top tier for your wedding anniversary, make sure you tell the server (and your baker!) ahead of time so they can save it and make sure it is made of ingredients that will last.
Wedding Cake Frostings
There are three main types of frostings used for wedding cakes, each with different characteristics. Buttercream is the most popular because it holds up well in any temperature and humidity. Fondant is an alternative that is thicker and less sweet than buttercream, but like buttercream, fondant holds up well under different temperatures and humidity. Whipped cream provides another alternative but refrigeration is a necessity which may make whipped cream not viable for outdoor summer weddings. While not a strict rule, it often seems that traditional cakes have buttercream frosting while contemporary cakes have fondant frosting.
Decorations
After you have chosen a cake type, you must then plan out its decorations. A main part of the cake decorations is the cake topper that you choose to grace the top of your cake.
Choosing decorations for a wedding cake depends largely on the type of wedding you are planning. Beach weddings may choose a tropical or oceanic theme. Flowers can provide an excellent touch for both outdoor and indoor weddings. Beads, lace, and ribbons are also very popular methods of enhancing a cakes elegance. Recently, it has become popular to match cake decorations to the wedding dress chosen by the bride to tightly weave all thematic elements of the wedding together.
Please note: If you do use fresh flowers to decorate your cake, keep in mind that some are treated with chemicals and pesticides, so you may not want to lick the frosting off them!
In addition to cake decorations, perfecting the table decorations around your wedding cake serves only to further emphasize the beauty of your wedding cake. Flowers, lace, candles, or silver jewelry can all be used.
Pick up or Delivery
This depends in part on the type of cake you select. You probably almost always want your cake delivered so you will not have to worry about any catastrophes occurring during transportation. It can be very hard to transport a fragile tiered cake and it is often best left up to the experts! Discuss any extra transportation charges with the baker. Many times delivery within the town is already included within the cake price, but you should verify this to make sure.
Alternatives to a Traditional Wedding Cake
Miniature Cakes these can be quite expensive, about $10-20 each for 2x2 or 3x3 inch cakes
Cupcakes these are also quickly becoming a popular alternative for weddings. These can be designed elegantly and provide a quick and easy way to serve guests.
Whatever you like Dont let tradition force you to choose a cake over your favorite dessert. This is YOUR wedding so you should be able to choose whatever you want. Tiers of chocolates, fruit and dipping chocolate, cookies, or pastries. All these can work in place of your wedding cake and provide a unique twist to your wedding that guests will be sure to remember. Bakers can offer even more suggestions and will often be willing to work with you to provide you with the dessert you want.
No matter the circumstances, you should always choose a wedding cake that fits your personal tastes, because in the end your enjoyment is the most important part of any wedding.
ThatsMyTopper.com - Your search for the perfect wedding cake topper ends here. That's My Topper offers an extensive collection of figurine, fairy tale, Asian, whimsical and monogrammed cake toppers...
SomedayTreasure.com - Beautifully designed wedding accessories like guest books, unity candles, flower girl baskets, ring bearer pillows, garters, toasting glasses...
